Sara Sharif’s father denied hitting his daughter and said he only slapped her, the jury heard.
Urfan Sharif also said that he tried to save his 10-year-old daughter and called for an ambulance, but was told “Leave it, it’s dead” by his wife.
Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, the 42-year-old said: “I slapped him. I have many mistakes in my life, but I have never failed him. Never.”
The taxi driver denied that he hurt the schoolgirl, who was found with a number of wounds, and is accused of surrendering because of fleeing to Pakistan.
He is currently on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murder, along with Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
Sara was found dead in bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 2023 after Sharif called the Pakistani police saying he had beaten her “a lot”.
Jurors heard she suffered multiple injuries, including burns and bites, in what prosecutors suspect was a campaign of abuse.
On Tuesday, Sharif denied torturing and killing Sara when he first gave evidence in his own defense.
Her lawyer, Naeem Mian KC, asked: “Are you responsible for Sara Sharif’s death?”
The defendant replied: “No.”
Sharif also denied that he bit, burned or hit his daughter with a cricket bat or a white pole.
Jurors heard that Sharif initially decided to blame Sara’s death and went to Pakistan after Batool claimed he had harmed another child.
Mr Mian suggested that Sharif was mistakenly dismissed as the “villain of the piece” because he only reprimanded him with a “slap”.
Sharif was working when Sara fainted at home last August 8 and Batool told her to “go back home”, the court heard.
Mr Mian told jurors: “He came home to find her face up, and Beinash Batool, limping. He’ll tell you to ask ‘What the hell is going on?’, as any of your numbers would.
“After being informed about what happened, he said ‘I will take the blame’.
“He will tell you to try CPR, he asked for an ambulance to be called as he was doing CPR.
“And he was told in Urdu or Punjabi ‘Leave, you’re dead, leave, you’re dead’.”
The lawyer blamed Batool, pointing to his refusal to provide teeth marks to match the bite marks on Sara and the WhatsApp messages to his sister where he said Sharif had beaten his daughter.
Sharif was crying in the witness box as he described his daughter, saying: “She was beautiful, an angel, lovely, full of energy … her favorite food was chicken biryani and she hated eating bread.
“His hobbies were playing the guitar and singing, his dream of what he wanted to be when he grew up was a ballet dancer.”
“The oldest person he loved the most was his grandfather, my father. Her favorite color was pink.”
Jurors heard that Sara went to live with her father after a bitter split with her biological mother, Olga.
During the ongoing battle against the allegations that it “circulated” on both sides, the court was told.
Sharif said he met his ex-wife online in 2009 and they separated around 2014.
He alleges that his ex-wife “bited” another child and “tortured” Sara during and after their marriage.
Regarding the allegations he made against her, he said: “He accused me of having an affair with Beinash. He accused me of being controlling. He was charged with domestic violence and child abuse.
“I was once arrested. When I was arrested, I took off my shirt and showed them, it was actually me who was abused by him. Olga admits that she was violent towards me.”
Mr Mian told the jury that Batool had supported Sharif throughout the custody battle, even though he was “well aware of the allegations” against him.
Sharif told jurors that he had completed a domestic violence program for six months although he denied ever being violent towards his ex-wife. He said he had pleaded guilty to stealing £1,700 but had no other offences.
The defendant also denied “controlling” his wife Batool, saying they had a traditional relationship – she worked and was the “boss” at home.
Sharif said that in 2016, Batool hit him on the head with a lemon squeezer when he wanted to leave and on another occasion attacked him with a broom.
Mr Mian said: “The jury heard a lot of messages from your wife to her sister and they stayed for a long time, several years, and there were messages that said for example, ‘Urfan hits the mark.’ Sara came out’. Did you ever beat Sara?” The defendant denied.
Mr Mian went on to say: “Why is Sara’s stepmother sending messages to her sister saying she is hitting Sara when you are not hitting her?”
Sharif replied: “I don’t understand why. I’m not even at home at those times, I’m at work.”
All three defendants, of Hammond Road, Woking, deny killing or allowing the death of the child between December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.
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